uspearls

As other said, confirming there is no horizontal obstructed view from that cabin.  One slight correction to the OP - the lifeboats will be to your right, rather than down.   I had my parents in a deluxe balcony a couple of cabins down on the Enchanted (virtually identical) and there is just a white shade cover over the protruding outdoor eating area on Deck 7 (which is a very quiet area as there aren't many people out there, particularly later at night).

This small area of "obstructed" view balconies and deluxe balconies is a great value - grab it!

12 minutes ago, richla said:

Actually, the Carnival Miracle was positioned in San Diego pre-covid and did weekly turns along with 3 and 4-day cruises. Years ago Carnival even built the cruise terminal on the Broadway pier. They have not scheduled a return since covid. Along with Holland America, the Disney Wonder has and is still positioned out of San Diego and will embark numerous times between September and May. There is close to 150 ships calling on San Diego this season. Besides the Mexican Riviera/Pacific coastal routes, the ships also transit the Panama Canal and sail round trips to Hawaii. The Sea of Cortez is also becoming an attractive alternative to the standard Mexican Riviera and can be booked on the Diamond.

I stand corrected!   

I did not mean to opine on the attractiveness or viability of San Diego as a homeport (or port of call).  I'm just not overly optimistic that Princess will homeport a ship here for any length of time.  I'd be thrilled if I'm wrong!

7 minutes ago, that said:

Where is parking for holiday cruise out of San Diego?

Some of the airport lots offer shuttle service right to the dock, as the airport is 2 minutes away.  I've used Aladdin for years for both airport and cruise.

1 hour ago, cruzin4us said:

Do any of you have any insight if Princess is planning on sailing from San Diego on a permanent basis?    I know the Diamond has a few sailings (the first few were cancelled due to staff shortages), but there's nothing after the Diamond heads back to Japan.

 

Sailing out of SD is a huge plus for us, and I'm hoping someone out here know the future plans.

Howdy neighbor!  Glad you posted and hope an "insider" can shed some light.  On the one hand, I'm not overly optimistic.  Locating the Diamond in San Diego was never more than an opportunistic stopgap, and with Holland America firmly entrenched I could see adding more capacity from a sister brand as cannibalizing sales given the limited Mexican Riviera/Pacific coastal routes (San Diego hasn't even been able to support lower price point Carnival for years). 

On the other hand, the Port of San Diego offered this statement AFTER the cancellation of the early part of the Diamond's schedule:  

“Princess Cruises has been an important part of the Port of San Diego’s growing cruise business and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. "

Intriguing or just wishful thinking?!

On 9/3/2022 at 7:58 PM, seachelt said:

We were in PR723 recently. It was exceedingly noisy 24 hours per day, balcony was so loud it was unusable. The white areas on each side of the cabin seemed to contain industrial fans. The deck manager moved us to another area.

Exactly our experience in PR723!  Such a shame after looking forward to being in that cabin for so long.  There should be a warning on the deck plan.

On 9/6/2022 at 11:44 AM, MSMcDuffy said:

Hi,

 

I can't find much info on the Enchanted Princess since it's so new.  Does anyone know if these deck 8 cabins, E411-E421 will get a lot of noise from Gigi's Pizzeria below or the Al Fresco Dining Area?  (Looks like these places are right below - per deck plan.) 

 

We're also considering E334, E324 (looks like they are above the shops) and E614-E620 (looks like they are above the Crown Grill).  Am I correct to assume the noise should not be bad?  

 

Also, would the life boats & tender boats be in an identical location as on all of the other royal class ships or is this one a little different?

 

There will be 3 of us in a cabin - one gets a bit of motion sickness and another a light sleeper so we're trying to find a happy medium.  A bit of extra room and a sofa would be great so that's why I'm looking into this category rather than a regular balcony, which I've had before. 

 

Thanks for any input! 🙂 

 

(Sorry if this question gets asked a lot - I haven't posted on these boards in about 4 yrs and I can't figure out the search function.)

These are great cabins - in fact, expand your search to E411 - E425 (categories DW and BW).  No noise, great location.  On both sides the restaurants close pretty early and nobody was out there (in the Caribbean!) The pricing is usually significantly below the unobstructed balcony or deluxe balcony and the only "obstruction" is white shade canopies below you. Had E410 for my parents in January (the photos on cruisedeckplans.com are mine :)). I have E424 booked for next month.  Can't even see the lifeboats as you're in the concave section looking sideways at other balconies.

13 hours ago, daydreamer16 said:

What about bottles of sparkling water, Perrier, Pelligrino? Are they included?

As the OP said, yes and unlimited - but just the small bottles.  You have to pay for the large bottles.  Also, I learned just to ask for sparkling water rather than a brand.  Each bar and dining room seems to be randomly stocked with Perrier or San Pelligrino but rarely both together!

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Thanks.  I have considered the advantages you mention, plus easy access to outdoor promenade deck, but have been nervous about vibration.  Perhaps it is okay if stay in the most fwd cabins in that section.

That's an idea.  The forward 4 cabins on each side though are all ADA, and there's only 4 regular balconies behind those (plus a storage closet each side, so 5 balcony sized rooms approximately).  So, unless you qualify for the ADA cabin, not sure it will make much difference.  But if it looks like there's a bunch of balconies open on your cruise, there's not a lot of risk if you don't mind moving if it doesn't work out.

On 8/27/2022 at 8:31 PM, Steelers36 said:

Thanks for your report and review. So, no particular noise or vibration in your cabin from engines or whatever?  A number of folks have reported a vibration issue after staying in that aft section.  I have wondered about trying it since the cabins are much newer than rest of the ship.

We were in PR723 (furthest aft balcony) a few weeks ago and for the first time asked to move after one night due to the vibration.  It was awful, we both hardly slept (and my wife can sleep through almost anything!).  For reference, we had departed Copenhagen and were sailing to  Frederica, Denmark overnight - a relatively short distance through smooth coastal waters at far less than full speed.  So, I figured if it was that bad under those conditions, I didn't like the thought of staying there through a few sea days at higher speed through the North Sea!

I also looked on cc for everything I could find on vibration in that section before I purposefully selected that cabin in the "remodel" section on Deck 7!  I was disappointed to leave honestly as the location was everything I imagined - so convenient.  And the large, covered balcony with the remains of the public promenade deck was great, as was the more modern cabin build (less wood, flat screen across from the bed as on Royal Class and my wife's beloved adjustable shower!).

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

Should this change excite me?

Only if they give him the latitude and budget he had at Crystal or Celebrity!  🙂

Just to add some clarity,  "La Patisserie" was nothing more than some branding around the Good Spirits bar on Deck 5.  Now, that branding has disappeared but the espresso machine at the bar remains and many people (including me) treat that bar as the poor substitute for an International Cafe since it's in the middle of the Piazza and opens at 6am. The small food case (which I accused of being sad :)) is in fact on wheels.  It is brought out sometime around 6:30am after the second staff person arrives and at some point a small selection of muffins/pastries appear.  During the day, some sandwiches are added.  I would not recommend relying on it for your daily ritual ! A far better option is Amuleto, which is just the pastries/dessert area at the very front of the Horizon Court buffet on deck 14.  That is essentially open at around 5am (as there are plenty of staff setting up for breakfast) with a full pastry selection.  They also have an espresso machine but that isn't staffed until around 6am I think.  I personally did not head to Amuleto when I staggered out of bed as my focus was coffee and I valued the comfy chairs around Good Spirits over the food.

This is gold, thanks!  And I never knew about the URL once onboard and connected to WiFi....

3 hours ago, Purple Gallinule said:

We will be getting back to NYC (Brooklyn terminal) early on a Saturday morning in October. Our flight does not leave LGA until 4pm. Obviously, we do not want to spend all day at the airport. In fact, my wife says she will NOT spend all day at the airport. The biggest issue is with luggage, as you can imagine. We could easily take cabs here and there if we did not have baggage to contend with.

 

Does anyone have experience with this type of issue? There is a Princess excursion that tours the city, but you have to be on flights that leave after 5pm as the excursion bus does not get to LGA until after 3pm.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

Same for us!  We're using a baggage storage service (Bounce, but there are a lot of them).  We chose a location in the center of the area we want to tour (Brooklyn rather than Manhattan).

On 8/3/2022 at 12:12 PM, macandlucy said:

Yes, I was disappointed that mine had no Princess Plus either. I was getting those Princess Plus included offers for a while, but lately it seems to be free inside stateroom and some freeplay, but no PP. I wonder if they will bring that back or if sales have rebounded enough that they don't have to offer it to smaller gamblers like me. 

 

I assume I can pay to add Princess Plus. Is it $50 per person, per day? And what about upgrades? If prices drop and the balcony cabins come down in price, will I need to pay the price of the balcony at booking time, or the difference in price between an inside and a balcony? Anyone know?

Yes, you can add Princess Plus for $50 pp/day (or Premier for $75).  The upgrade price is a fixed amount for the casino offers, unrelated to the public price of your preferred upgrade class (and unaffected by price fluctuations).

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Deck 5 - Atrium.

 

Hmm.. hold on there Bubba Louie!  It looks like they have re-badged the Patisserie to Good Spirits, so I would say all the special coffees must have been moved to Lido Buffet only.  

 

We need to hear from someone on board, as they might still have the coffee service in the mornings on Deck 5.  It is a challenge on the smaller ships to try and provide larger ship services - no way to have them all.

Just off the Island a couple of weeks ago. The "special coffees" (i.e. espresso machines) are located at Good Spirits on Deck 5, the Casino Bar on Deck 6 and in Horizon Court at the front by the pastries.  The "Patisserie" branding is gone - there is a small, sad mobile case with various offerings through the day.  Coffee service begins at 6am with one overworked (but wonderful) staff member on Deck 5 who is joined by a second at 6:30am and they close about 10:30pm.   Specialty coffees also available in Horizon Court from 6am.

An International Cafe it is not and I provided some detailed constructive feedback in the post cruise survey about the lack of staffing and hours for a "cafe" of any type and the importance of brand consistency.  I disagree with you.  With better staffing and training to actually use the espresso machines properly (and let's face it, upgrading the flavorless coffee beans), the Island can provide a perfectly pleasant early morning and late night cafe experience.

Just received this notice at 10:16pm PT for our upcoming Island Princess voyage out of Copenhagen in 7 days:

19 minutes ago, moodyb1 said:

Are any of the interior cabins on the Island Princess sideways cabins? We want to make sure before we book and can't tell from the deck plans on Princess.

 

Thanks,

Arlene

Check out cruisedeckplans.com - it's a wonderful resource for deck layouts and cabin reviews.  Looks like there are quite a few.

3 hours ago, Lucky TGO said:

That’s an easy one go to the The international coffee bar tell the barista you like a cafe mocha just like the kind they make at Starbucks. 😳 😁 I told you it would be easy good luck and enjoy.

Tony

 

Ha, good one!  Seriously though (and one must be serious about coffee!), my wife loves her Starbucks and it's tough to get the true Starbucks replica but you can get close by asking them to add one shot of espresso (so if you order a large which they do with 2 shots, order 3 shots).  The issue is that the Starbucks espresso is much richer and I think a darker roast, with a distinctive aftertaste (which some people can't stand!).  If you don't want that much caffeine, ask for decaf for the extra shot.

You probably know already, but if Regal matches the newer Royals, you can also get your espresso drinks at the bar close to Princess Live.

11 hours ago, lbfluffy said:

Looking at Discovery on June 19th to find out what cabins are still available. It says currently unavailable. We are going on this cruise. We are not assigned a cabin yet. I was just curious what was open. Are the ships sailing at full capacity now?

The website is not a reliable measure this close to sailing date, when they often block bookings.  And "sold out"  does not mean "at capacity" right now as they seem to be blocking off large portions of one or more decks for quarantine cabins.

37 minutes ago, donswife said:

There are also several varieties of a more upscale brand of tea in the International Cafe, available for purchase (or included in drinks or coffee packages).

The International Cafe has very good tea, usually Mighty Leaf out of North America.

Interesting!  We were on the Grand's initial relaunch cruise last September and the machines dispensed free coins for machines and supplies.  The Enchanted in January was definitely not free, so I assumed my experience on the Grand was a relaunch glitch.  But if the Discovery was free a couple of months after launch...here's hoping for our 16 night cruise on the Island coming up.  I'll see if someone on board can help.  

Perhaps Princess is running a trial to see if free laundry leads to better dressed guests?? 😉

12 minutes ago, vcon said:

Anyone know what coins the laundromat washing machines and dryers take on the Princess ships? TIA.

Princess coins!   Just tap your Medallion on the machine and it will dispense coins for the machines.

1 hour ago, Grego said:

All is a process which is moving forward and ramping up as crew and services are returning.  All the cruise lines are going through the same process and we'll all be back to a better than normal soon.

Well said and look forward to meeting you on board the July 13th cruise!

I am also very appreciative of cruisers offering their insights.  I've sailed on the Grand and the Enchanted since the restart and enjoyed both thoroughly - and differently.  It's hard not to be impressed by the new Royal class ships with the new dining, entertainment and drinking venues (shout out to the specialty gin bar!) and more modern look.  The consistency for me is in the service. Yes, the systems may not be perfect sometimes (Medallion, DMY) , but the crews (especially servers, bartenders and stewards) have been fantastic.  Genuinely customer focused people who have gone through goodness knows what in their home countries for two years without jobs and government subsidized COVID relief programs and are happy and proud to be working again.  Those of us who can afford to travel and cruise in these troubled times should be grateful.

14 minutes ago, Geoffa30 said:

My concern is about whether drink prices are going to rise meaning I have less choice because the $12 price limit is no longer sufficient to cover the higher prices. I’m not worried about all the other bells and whistles of the new premier package.

The OP is correct in that you (and I) weren't "downgraded".  That said, many of us are wondering whether this change will be accompanied by a repricing of premium brands.  My take is that, in the context of the total cost of a cruise trip, it's not worth worrying about.  Even if $12 per drink is no longer sufficient to cover top shelf brands, Princess' policy allows you to pay the difference over $12 and, in the aggregate with included gratuities, the Plus Package still represents excellent value.

Hmm, I think I'll live with the danger in my kitchen in return for my one click cuppa 🙂 We should be worried about bigger issues here in the U.S.!